I once made plans for a 17 day getaway to escape the hot summer in my city and ended up being on road for the next 10 months. At the end of that 10 months I was a certified hitchhiker, a clumsy mountain climber, a village wine connoisseur, a street dweller, a spiritual explorer, an impromptu healer, a dosa and vada master( in a mountain guest house), a dishwasher, a photographer, and in the end a storyteller.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I have always been the person who lets the spontaneity of not having plans take me to some of the wonderful, kind and light filled beings on my travels. It is where one makes a true connection for a life time rather than on a hotel room alone making itineraries.

Interests

• books
• photography
• music
• backpacking
• camping
• hitchhiking
• solo travel
• drifting

Music, Movies, and Books

Music

Blues(Desert, Delta), Jazz(cool, free, bebop), most Classical music, Alternative/Indie, and anything that isn’t mumblecore/rap/screaming/autotuned

Books

American Depression era works, Beat generation works, Classic Sci-Fi, Magical realism and of course Dostoevsky and Co.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

It was July 25 2019

I was some 2700 kms away from home, volunteering as a dishwasher at a mountain guesthouse. The friend who runs the place asked me if I could make dosas. I had no prior cooking experience, except for watching my mother cook occasionally and spreading the batter on the pan to make my own dosas at times. So right then, I called my mother, asked for the proportions of the ingredients to make the batter, walked down the hill to buy the ingredients, and made an authentic Dosai maavu (batter), just like the one my mother made. The batter didn’t ferment overnight due to the cold weather, but the buzz had already spread among the small mountain community composed of mostly young guys and girls from all over India. In short, the dosas came out well. The buzz that some South Indian was making dosas and vadais spread even further, and it attracted a few tourists from other guesthouses down the hill. I had to give up my share of the batter due to the unexpected turnout. I couldn’t have my staple breakfast that I had been missing for 7 months, yet it was the first time I knew what it felt like to give something up with love, to feed someone with your own hands, like a mother who hides her hunger to give her child an extra scoop.

Teach, Learn, Share

I know a fair bit about writing, and how to make some good photos without expensive gear. Rest of all my knowledge are scattered and wide from birdwatching to painting, from healing to hitchhiking. I can share my thoughts and musings about the nature of our existence.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I come with full of gratitude, love and respect for the kind people. I can share stories of my unplanned ramblings across the length and breadth of the subcontinent.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bhutan